This presentation will outline the main caracteristics of pottery dating from the Napatan period. Is it possible to draw up a list of potential regional specificities? How does the study of the Sedeinga site (Middle Nubia) contribute to precise the layout of Napatan exchange networks? We will gather up the data about the production of these ceramics, which is linked to the economic and political structure of the kingdom. Then we will pay attention to the classification of this series, focusing on the types of the transitional periods: fall of the XXVth Dynasty and rise of Meroitic royalty. Finally, we will discuss the expected contributions of the various archaeological excavations currently being carried out on Sudanese territory to the knowledge of this corpus. Why is it necessary to pay special attention to the pre-Meroitic levels even in reoccupied tombs? How to coordinate contemporary projects to shed new light on this period?

Napatan pottery in context : catching a glimpse of the organization of a vast territory